Lists are for fan-boys but I had to do this just so I could say at this date and this time of my life I choose Ubik. Tomorrow it could be different (hell 5 minutes from now it could be different) but the ever altering reality of our perceptions is a central theme to Dick's work so I like the Poll/Listing concept in this case.

P.S.- Thanks to AdamBalm (who mentioned Dick in some thread today), Burl & DennisMM (for the Plato's cave sidebar) for giving me the impetus to come up with this idea.

P.P.S.- No "dick" jokes you pranksters.

Personally, I'm an atheist in the voting booth and a theist in the movie theatre. I separate the morality of religion with the spirituality and solace of it. There is something boring about atheism.

WTF? No comments. This thread needs a bump. Personally I've mostly just read his short stories, no novels. Of those I like his more philosophical stuff over the paranoid-conspiracy theory works. I remember really liking the Second Variety alot. Any recommendations?

Adam Balm wrote:WTF? No comments. This thread needs a bump. Personally I've mostly just read his short stories, no novels. Of those I like his more philosophical stuff over the paranoid-conspiracy theory works. I remember really liking the Second Variety alot. Any recommendations?

Thanks for the, um, bump (coke joke) Balmy.

Most of his great works involve both paranoid-conspiracy theory andphilosophy.

But try "Ubik" and "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch".

Dick isn't a hard read (you can most likely finish one of his novels in a day) but you find yourself thinking about what you've read for a lone time after.

From "Time Out of Joint"...

Words he thought.

Central problem in philosophy. Relation of word to object...what is a word? Arbitrary sign. But we live in words. Our reality, among words not things. No such thing as a thing anyhow; a gestalt in the mind. Thingness...sense of substance. An illusion. Word is more real than the object it represents.

But that line makes me remember what Daniel Hillis said about how the representation becomes the reality. After some searching, I found it again:

The representation becomes the reality. Or more precisely: Successful representations of reality become more important than the reality they represent. Examples: Dollars become more important than gold. The brand becomes more important than the company. The painting becomes more important than the landscape. The new medium (which begins as a representation of the old medium) eclipses the old. The prize becomes more important than the achievement. The genes become more important than the organism.

Most likely. You should get Hillis's book Pattern on the Stone, probably the most general book on computer science you'll ever find. But I digress. This is thread is all about Dick. (Had to do the joke at least once) One of the reasons I was never huge on cyberpunk is that cyberpunk always seemed like PKD without the questions, the philosophy, and the...well, brilliance.

Maybe on the cyberpunk point (although in the Sprawl trilogy isn't Gibson making a comment on how our suppositions of how a "free" A.I. would think are essentially unknowable, being a new entity and all?) but Philip K. (ha!) never wrote interesting female characters, and never had anybody half as cool as Y.T, Hiro Protagonist, and Molly.

Plus, since you like Ghost in the Shell (I assume) the A.I. in that does essentially what Wintermute and Neuromancer did...it wanted to complete itself by merging with another of it's kind.

Personally, I'm an atheist in the voting booth and a theist in the movie theatre. I separate the morality of religion with the spirituality and solace of it. There is something boring about atheism.

Hey, I'm not gonna disagree on Hiro Protagonist. Stephenson rules. I'm kinda schizophrenic on cyberpunk. I liked the ending of Neuromancer, yeah, but on the other hand, I threw down a copy of Burning Chrome in disgust because of all the cowboy uberbadass shit. It's mostly because of guys like Warren Ellis and his fanbase, who I can't stand, and so I unfairly project this stuff onto guys like Gibson. For that I apologize.

Okay, this is a bit of a bump for all the n00bs who haven't seen the Philip K Dick thread. So after having read Dick's short stories since forever, and never touching his novels, I've decided I'm going to start on the Man in the High Castle. (Based on KeepCool's recommendation.)

Anybody read that? Anybody else have a favorite Dick book they want to point me to?

I liked Minority Report more than anything. I liked the theme of controling/manipulating fate interwined with the true to life story of lving and corruptting a society to the point where it can result in its own destruction.

For me, it's usually a tie between MTS and VALIS, though MTS tends to come out on top most of the time.

I get that it's not one of the favourites, although it always gets listed among the masterworks. Probably due to the lack of plot. What plot there is, is fairly banal. Still, in terms of ideas, I still think it's his richest novel.

Ask any 10 Dickheads their favourite novel and you'll get 10 different answers.

Anyway my vote for his abolute best work (in no particular order):

Man in the High Castle
Martian Time-slip
Dr. Bloodmoney
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (Duh!)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
UBIK
A Scanner Darkly
VALIS

He wrote a bunch of other novel which are quite good (Now wait for last year; Clans of the alphane moon; the transmigration of Timothy Archer), but those 8 books are masterworks.

Mostly I've read his short stories in collections like 'Beyond lies the Wub' and 'We can remember it for you Wholesale'. Of all the novels I've read (havent read Ubik or The Three Stigmata..) I really admired 'The Man in the High Castle' but found the conclusion a little inscrutable (someone want to help 'splain it to me?)
went for 'Flow my Tears the policeman Said' - as well as philosophical science fiction he includes myth and religion, but transforms it from something dead from the past into experience of life, and it's got a kind of humour and glamour not found much in his other novels

tapehead wrote: I really admired 'The Man in the High Castle' but found the conclusion a little inscrutable (someone want to help 'splain it to me?)

Yeah that was a pretty unsatisfying ending. The reason it doesnt work very well is that Dick decided to use the I Ching to decide how it would end, even he has said many times that he didn't like the ending.

I've been on a pretty big Dick kick lately. The last few books ive read have been VALIS, A Scanner Darkly, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Man in the High Tower, Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick, and I'm reading the Transmigration of Timothy Archer right now. I cannot get enough of this guy and considering hes written over 50 novels and many more short stories I could go on reading just him for along while but as soon as read The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldricht and Ubik im gonna try and move on. There are some more authors I need to become obsessed with like Vonnegut, Golding, Borges etc. I also need to finish Killer Inside of Me by Jim Thompson

oh man, if you like the bizarre metaphysics of Dick, then Borges, in much fewer words (start with the short story collections), will blow you mind.
one of, if not the best philosophical fiction writers I've ever had the pleasure to encounter.

I wish I could be young again, just to rediscover all the great stuff I discovered back then .

Personally, I'm an atheist in the voting booth and a theist in the movie theatre. I separate the morality of religion with the spirituality and solace of it. There is something boring about atheism.

Anyone remember the name of that short story he wrote about a new invention that emerges during the Russian VS American war that's been raging for years. They're a type of robot that pretends to be human, infiltrates the enemy camp, and then kills every last motherfucker in sight. But then the robots go and get all sentient and decide to forget about that whole Russia-VS-America thing and just kill every human they can find. Three Russians and an American get together and try to make it back to the American camp to inform them of the new threat. But could one amongst their ranks be one of these robots?

I read it in an old anthology years ago when I was just getting into sci-fi. I remember it was pretty atmospheric and was probably an influence on Carpenter's The Thing, but I can't remember the title for the life of me.

EDIT: OK, I managed to find it. It's called Second Variety and was apparently adapted into a pretty decent Peter Weller movie called Screamers. I've got to check that out.

Seppuku wrote:Anyone remember the name of that short story he wrote about a new invention that emerges during the Russian VS American war that's been raging for years. They're a type of robot that pretends to be human, infiltrates the enemy camp, and then kills every last motherfucker in sight. But then the robots go and get all sentient and decide to forget about that whole Russia-VS-America thing and just kill every human they can find. Three Russians and an American get together and try to make it back to the American camp to inform them of the new threat. But could one amongst their ranks be one of these robots?

I read it in an old anthology years ago when I was just getting into sci-fi. I remember it was pretty atmospheric and was probably an influence on Carpenter's The Thing, but I can't remember the title for the life of me.

EDIT: OK, I managed to find it. It's called Second Variety and was apparently adapted into a pretty decent Peter Weller movie called Screamers. I've got to check that out.

I always thought that if anybody had a right to sue Cameron about The Terminator, it was PKD for Second Variety rather than Harlan Ellison did for Soldier.

Anyway, I'm also mostly a reader of his shorts. It's been a while since I've read any, but one of my favourites was The Electic Ant, which (rather shockingly for Dick) deals with subjectiveness of reality.

A faithful adaptation of The Golden Man would make an intersting entry into the current batch of Superhero movies, rather than the dissapointing Next, which kept only idea of the power, and got rid of all the interesting stuff.

Seppuku wrote:Anyone remember the name of that short story he wrote about a new invention that emerges during the Russian VS American war that's been raging for years. They're a type of robot that pretends to be human, infiltrates the enemy camp, and then kills every last motherfucker in sight. But then the robots go and get all sentient and decide to forget about that whole Russia-VS-America thing and just kill every human they can find. Three Russians and an American get together and try to make it back to the American camp to inform them of the new threat. But could one amongst their ranks be one of these robots?

I read it in an old anthology years ago when I was just getting into sci-fi. I remember it was pretty atmospheric and was probably an influence on Carpenter's The Thing, but I can't remember the title for the life of me.

EDIT: OK, I managed to find it. It's called Second Variety and was apparently adapted into a pretty decent Peter Weller movie called Screamers. I've got to check that out.

I always thought that if anybody had a right to sue Cameron about The Terminator, it was PKD for Second Variety rather than Harlan Ellison did for Soldier.

Agreed. If Arnie had gone back in time just to give anti-war lectures, I'd see Harlan's point.

I reckon if they'd united their forces and made a joint suit, their case would have been a dead cert.

The weirdest PKD short story I've ever read is one about a woman cheating on her husband with an apple tree. I'd like to see that adapted into a movie.

Ribbons wrote:Has anybody read "King of the Elves" (the story that Disney is doing an animated film of)? Prior to their announcement I don't think I'd ever heard of it before.

Yep - it's a very brief short story that I've always kind of interpreted as being about the dichotomy that might exist in an individual's mind between fantasy and delusion or mental insanity - at the same time it's very light in tone. I have it in a compilation somewhere and can tell you what it's published in if you're interested (I'd have to look it up).

Lately I've been craving the Dick, so I read Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said this week. Without wanting to give too much away (even in spoily-text), I'll just say that it's about the popular host of a variety show -- one who considers an audience "the lifeblood of public existence... and public existence, existence itself. Period." -- who undergoes something of an identity crisis. The plot is structured like a mystery, but rather than a whodunnit, it's more like a "what-the-hell-is-going-on"-it. Although it's pretty confusing at times, it's extremely readable; I finished it in like half the time it takes me to read books that are the same length.

A Scanner Darkly is the only PKD book I've ever read before, and this one is pretty different, even though there are certain ideas in common, especially a healthy dollop of cynicism toward the police. But A Scanner Darkly was pretty realistic, for the most part (at least its depiction of what the near future might look like), whereas Flow My Tears has flying cars and floating hotels and whatnot. Also the "future" in this case is 1988, so it's kind of fun to see what stuff Dick accurately predicted in advance. The answer is not much (see: the flying cars thing). It's an enjoyable book anyway, in spite of all that, and actually one of the most important messages in the book is probably more relevant now than it was when originally published: the double-edged sword of fame. Anyway it's good, and one of the things I appreciated more about Dick's writing this time around was his dialogue. Obviously he is first and foremost an ideas man, and there are times where his prose is a little ponderous or repetitive, but he has a pretty great ear for funny dialogue, which I think helped me finish the book as fast as I did.

tapehead wrote:went for 'Flow my Tears the policeman Said' - as well as philosophical science fiction he includes myth and religion, but transforms it from something dead from the past into experience of life, and it's got a kind of humour and glamour not found much in his other novels

Now I'm feeling like a n00b, because all of that stuff went clear over my head. If you still remember the book, tapes, it'd be sweet if you could lay your theory about how mythology relates to the rest of the story.

MIKE FLEMING wrote:Michel Gondry is adapting and is attached to direct Ubik, the legendary book by scifi author Philip K. Dick. Steve Zaillian and Steve Golin are producing through Film Rites and Anonymous Content, with Golin putting up the financing for development until they shop to studios. (Zaillian's Film Rites has its first look through DreamWorks, so the project could end up there.) The book was called one of the 100 greatest novels of all-time by Time Magazine. Film Rites' Garrett Basch will be exec producer. The book is a metaphysical comedy of death and salvation, revolving around dead characters who give business advice, plan their next incarnation, and risk dying once again.

The late author, whose Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep was turned into Blade Runner, next has The Adjustment Bureau coming with George Nolfi directing Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, and a remake of Total Recall in the works with Colin Farrell starring for director Len Wiseman.

Story is set in the distant future in a war between "the starmen" and earth and revolves around an organ transplant doctor who gets mixed up in the politics between both groups. Morgan is structuring the financing for the pic.

More than 10 Dick novels and short stories have been adapted for the screen, including "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," "Minority Report" and "The Adjustment Bureau." Dick died in 1982.

The producers will now work on finding a director, with plans to start production in the third quarter of 2012.

Dave McNary wrote:Aiming to mine the massive Philip K. Dick library, Anonymous Content and Electric Shepherd Prods. have launched a first-look deal to develop film and TV adaptations of Dick's 120-plus short stories and 45 novels.

Electric Shepherd is the production arm of the author's estate, and his children have managed the library since his death in 1982. Dick's works have been the source for 10 movie adaptations including "Total Recall," "Minority Report," "Paycheck," "Adjustment Bureau" and "A Scanner Darkly."

Electric Shepherd and Anonymous Content began working last year on an adaptation of Dick's "Ubik," with Michel Gondry attached to direct. Electric Shepherd is also developing other film and TV adaptations based on "The Man in the High Castle," "Now Wait for Last year," "King of the Elves" and "Electric Ant."

"Philip K. Dick's works offer a wealth of ideas for writers and directors, and we look forward to mining these imaginative works for feature and series ideas." said Steve Golin of Anonymous.

Dick's daughter Isa Dick Hackett said in a statement, "Our father's library and legacy are deeply important to us, and we will strive to bring the highest level of integrity to each project we produce under this new arrangement with Anonymous Content."

A "Blade Runner" sequel announced earlier this year is the most prominent projects in development based on Dick's works, with Alcon to produce and Ridley Scott to direct. The first-look deal was negotiated by Paul Green at Anonymous Content and Christopher Tricarico on behalf of Electric Shepherd and the Dick Estate.

Steven Spielberg is developing a TV series based on his 2002 hit sci-fi movie “Minority Report” that will be written by “Godzilla” scribe Max Borenstein and produced by Amblin Television, an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.

A spokesperson for Amblin Television deferred inquiries to a representative for Spielberg, who like Borenstein's representatives, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, possibly because the writer's deal isn't closed yet.

Based on a futuristic story by Philip K. Dick, “Minority Report” starred Tom Cruise as the head of “PreCrime,” a special police unit that uses three psychics (i.e. “precogs”) to identify and arrest murderers before they commit their crimes. The protagonist is forced to go on the run when he's accused of a future murder himself.

A weekly series will likely to focus on the elite PreCrime unit, with Spielberg expected to target a name actor for the lead, just as he did with Halle Berry on CBS’ sci-fi series “Extant.”

At least one current TV show seems to have drawn inspiration from “Minority Report,” as CBS’ “Person of Interest,” from J.J. Abrams and Jonah Nolan, follows an ex-CIA hitman and a scientist who team up to prevent crimes before they happen. The show has performed well, indicating there may be more interest in the subject matter.

While former “Daily Show” showrunner Larry Wilmore currently hosts Comedy Central's late-night talk show “The Minority Report with Larry Wilmore,” Spielberg's series is expected to retain its movie title, which still resonates strongly with sci-fi fans.

“Minority Report” grossed $358 million worldwide and received an Oscar nomination for best sound editing. 20th Century Fox distributed “Minority Report,” though it's unclear whether the Fox network would get a first shot at Spielberg's TV series.

Spielberg is currently prepping an untitled Cold War thriller starring Tom Hanks and will segue to an adaptation of Roald Dahl's “The BFG” after that, though he is expected to be closely involved in the development of the “Minority Report” TV series. In addition to “Extant,” Spielberg is also an executive producer on Fox's upcoming Octavia Spencer series “Red Band Society.”

Borenstein's modern update of “Godzilla,” directed by Gareth Edwards and produced by Legendary, has grossed more than $500 million worldwide and led to development of a sequel that will stomp into theaters on June 8, 2018.

Borenstein, who is currently working on “Skull Island” for Legendary, previously wrote the studio's fantasy film “Seventh Son,” which stars Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore. He's represented by UTA, Anonymous Content and attorney Eric Feig.

For those of you who love Dick and have a Kindle, The Man in the High Castle is available for free on Amazon, I assume because of their TV show based on the book. In any case, I downloaded it today and plan on reading it this week.

Nellie Andreeva wrote:Each episode of Electric Dreams will be a stand-alone based on Dick’s shorts stories as adapted by a writers room made up of British and American writers. Joining Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) and Dinner (Justified) as writers are Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Matthew Graham (Doctor Who), David Farr (The Night Manager), Dee Rees (Bessie) and Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim).

“This is an electric dream come true,” Cranston said at the time of the Channel 4 pickup. “We are so thrilled to be able to explore and expand upon the evergreen themes found in the incredible work of this literary master.”

After starting its foray into original series using exclusively the pilot model, with pilots uploaded online for viewer feedback, Amazon increasingly has been employing straight-to-series approach for high-profile projects, such as the recent pickups of a drama from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and the David O. Russell series starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore and the pending order for Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime thriller Too Old to Die Young.

In features, Dick’s works have been adapted into such popular titles as Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report as well as Screamers, The Adjustment Bureau, Impostor and Paycheck.